Tekoa Care Center

There are many factors that determine the cost of a nursing home, such as location and specific services. The average yearly cost for a semi-private room in a nursing home is $89,297, while a private room is $100,375. The costs for assisted living and retirement communities tend to be much more affordable as they do not provide extensive medical services. The average cost of an assisted living facility is $43,200 per year.

Getting your loved one into a nursing home can take time, particularly if you plan on using Medicaid to pay for their care. Medicaid approval can take several months, so it’s important to plan ahead when you can. Some nursing homes will accept ‘Medicaid pending’ patients, but others may require you to use another form of payment for admission until the Medicaid goes through.

• Medicare provides some coverage for nursing facilities, but you will still be left with out-of-pocket expenses. Medicare covers 100 days at a skilled nursing facility per benefit period. In some cases, Medicare can also cover 35 hours per week of home health services.
• Medicaid assistance levels differ between states. Veterans and their spouses may also be eligible for extended assistance benefits – veterans themselves may qualify for as much as $1,794 per month in assistance for nursing home costs.
• Many people choose to pay their nursing home fees with long-term care insurance. Long-term care insurance is designed to cover nursing homes, assisted living, and other ongoing healthcare needs. Some types of life insurance also provide a way to access your death benefit to pay for long-term medical coverage as needed.

Moving a patient to a new nursing home can be difficult, particularly if you are using Medicaid to pay for your care. If you are staying in the same state, you will just need to make sure that the new nursing home has Medicaid beds available. However, if you are moving to a different state, you will need to apply for Medicaid separately in that state. Every state has different Medicaid rules, so this process can take some time.

If you encounter a problem at a nursing home, the first step is to talk to the staff about reporting procedures. Many facilities have social workers or other professionals on hand specifically to deal with problems that may arise. The facility should also have a procedure in place to report problems internally. If the problem isn’t solved, you can report the nursing home to a state office or advocacy group. Your state’s department of health should have information available about how to report a nursing home.